Sunday, October 18 2015
by CJ
Well friends, tomorrow is the big day. This election has been a real shit show and tbh I’m thrilled it’s almost over. But this is no time for ambivalence. PLEASE TAKE TIME TO VOTE. Remember that your employer is legally required to give you time off to do so. Here is a list of the acceptable and necessary pieces of ID you need to register, here is a tool to locate your polling station, here is some important information for transgender voters. Finger crossed, my sisters and siblings. We can do this.
The National Post management is muzzling its writers, the Globe and Mail is supporting the Tories without their ruler (may I recommend Tories by Borde circa 2013 in case you somehow missed that gem), and Canada’s corporate media empire is ordering its newspapers to endorse Harper: well played, mainstream Canadian media! But if there is a bright side, it might be that these last minute endorsements could be desperate attempts to save a Conservative Party that seems to be rapidly losing steam and support.
“Despite the boyish charm and buoyant energy of their new leader, the Liberals are still the party of the establishment and corporate elite, which they will surely take no time reminding us of the moment they return to power.” An important read on Justin Trudeau and the politics of the image.
Stephen Harper: Master Manipulator.
Edmonton’s Brown, Black, and Fierce collective is hosting a festival that will bring together IBPOC (Indigenous People, Black People, and People of Colour) to deliver a series of workshops and performances. Zoe Todd has a smart piece on how BBF is helping to build respectful, accountable, and reciprocal relationships between communities of resistance: Enacting solidarity between displaced and dispossessed peoples: resistance-through-art in the prairies .
TW for sexual assault and violence: thirteen Aboriginal women tell their stories of loss, violence, abuse, and survival: It could have been me.
Toronto folks: today is the last day of Glad Day Book Shop’s inaugural LGBTQ literary festival, Naked Heart. If you have spare time, today’s schedule features workshops, panels, and readings (including one by GUTS contributor and sex educator, Kaleigh Trace!). Check it out!
In an effort to develop a strategy to close the gender pay gap, the provincial Ontario government will be holding consultations in twelve communities this winter. McMaster university is also doing it’s part, taking steps to adequately address gendered pay discrepancies after a study discovered a salary gap between female- and male-identified faculty members. These are exciting efforts, but it’s worth noting that it also makes complete sense: as this report tells us, gender parity can increase GDP significantly.
Half the world’s wealth is in the hands of 1 percent of the population
Stacey May Fowles’s brilliant piece on sexual assault, masculinity, and baseball: Thank you, R.A. Dickey.
According to a recent report Canadian Journal of Public Health, 17.3 percent of Nova Scotian households are food-insecure, or have “inadequate access to food due to financial constraints.” This is the highest rate of food insecurity in the country. Here is a petition calling for a national food policy to address food insecurity and unsustainable food production.
“As for her own sex, Elinor perceives the cage in which the male world confines it, and the bad feelings that explode in that cage.” Elena Ferrante on Sense and Sensibility.
Our favourite lady scholars talk about their wonderful Harry Potter podcast, Witch, Please!
I’m guessing you probably need more vulva emoji in your life. Here’s a link for that. [Update: UGH]
Fuck work. Fuck my job. Fuck all jobs, but fuck mine in particular.
“There is nothing small or insignificant about a single year when you’re using every minute of it to claw your way out of whatever dull ache or crushing boredom or entrenched despair is plaguing you.” Alana Massey on the distance of 365 days.
Breaking the silence on femme invisibility in the queer community.
Should White Men Stop Writing?
This looked like something you would expect an alien civilization to build. WUT.